Fission
by Kiexa
Summary: Roxas's kidnapping from the TT simulation has made Org. XIII and Riku and DiZ open hostiles. But when Saix discovers half of Sora's heart hiding within Roxas, he and Axel may have found their ticket to freedom -- and also the way to destroy everyone else.


Heya... I figured I should publish something, since it's been awhile. :) So... I was playing through Kingdom Hearts 2, yet again, and I just realized how unhappy I was with the plotline, because at the end, all my favorite characters are pretty much... dead. (Damn you, Sora! *shakes fist*) And after playing 358/2 days, I figured I really did like the whole devious plot deal. So... I figured I ight just do a re-write of the second game, only with a massive, massive twist. I have only one request. Read at least the first few chapters before you get your panties in a bunch because that ain't the way it happened. Capiche? Otherwise, enjoy, my lovely friends.

Multitudes of thanks for my dear friend Miri17 and Princess of Rose for Beta-ing my little pieces of fanfiction disaster! (disaster in a good or bad way I suppose we'll never know)

Disclaimer: If I owned Square Enix, Kindgdom Hearts and the whole shebang, I obviously would not be writing fanfiction, yes?

Back to the point...

* * *

**||Fission||**

**Chapter One: The Stuff We Already Know**

"_Restoration: Seventy-nine percent."_

The computer's monotone voice rang out from the speakers on the walls of the underground laboratory. A tall man, swathed completely in red, gazed up at the ceiling-high panel of computer monitors from his seat at the keyboard and let out a deep chuckle.

"Wonderful," he said aloud to himself. "We're doing quite well."

Slowly swiveling his bandaged head, he took in the bare pipes and uncovered steel reinforcements that glared out at him from behind computer screens and the other complex electronic devices that filled the room. There was no furniture except for the single chair that he rested in. Two exits were to his left, one across from him leading to a lonely hall filled with cryosleep pods, and the other behind him leading to the outside world. To his right was --

The man rose and walked over to the niche in the wall to his right, where a teenaged boy sat slumped over on the floor, his blonde head lowered to his chest. The steady rhythm of his quiet breathing could barely be heard above the hum of the machinery, but the intermittent rising and falling of his chest showed that he was alive.

"Twenty-one percent," the man murmured, as he watched the boy sleep.

_BAM! _

"DiZ. DiZ!"

A door slammed somewhere up above the lab, and footsteps pounded the stairs outside. He turned.

A tall, black-cloaked figure rushed into the lab, sword in hand, his amber eyes blazing beneath his hood. He was the lab assistant, a young man formerly named Riku.

"Ah, there you are," DiZ said. "I was wondering where you'd gone."

"Upstairs," Riku answered shortly. He glanced upward. "We're having some difficult--"

A loud thump from overhead interrupted him, and DiZ's eyes jerked up toward the ceiling.

Riku cleared his throat and spoke hastily. "Security's been breached. They've found us!"

DiZ straightened in alarm. "The Organization? They're here?"

"Not the members…exactly…" Riku seemed to be having trouble putting his thoughts into words. "The Dusks. But that means one of the greater Nobodies can't be far behind."

DiZ clenched his jaw. "Damn it. Just as we were making progress."

"Progress?" Riku's eyes shot to the boy on the floor behind him.

"We're at seventy-nine percent. At this rate, with Naminé's help, we'll reach one hundred percent by the end of the week."

Riku hesitated. "But if they --"

_THUD!!_ Another crash from upstairs interrupted him. He looked up, anger suddenly flashing into his eyes. "I swear, if they even get close…" he trailed off, then raised his weapon again and sprinted out of basement.

DiZ's gaze hardened. "They won't," he said, and turning to the computer, put the entire laboratory on lockdown.

* * *

_Ten minutes ago_

They say three's a charm.

Hopefully the charm didn't disappear when you were in the process of kidnapping your best friend.

Or rather, "repossessing", as the Powers That Be had so tactfully put it.

Well, _that_ word choice sure showed what the Organization thought of its members.

Axel pulled off the hood of his long black coat to reveal a head of spiked, fiery red hair and his unnaturally green eyes, which stood out against his pale skin.

"Why am I always the one chasing after the runners?" he muttered, casting a quick, resentful glance at his surroundings.

The huge, hollow atrium of the monstrous deserted house that sat on the fringes of the Twilight Town Woods could be compared to a stomach: an oversized, empty stomach filled with nothing but years-old, half digested scraps of meals and gastrointestinal parasites in the form of rats. Two spiraling staircases led into the upper floor of the stomach lining, and several tall windows on the far side of the room lent a little light to the whole situation. Debris and broken fragments of house parts were scattered all across the broken marble tile underfoot, like little fragments of food that stomach acid hadn't completely liquefied.

Apparently, the unimpressive skin of the place hid some sort of marvelous computer lab deep in the bowels of its basement, with an elderly man wrapped in a red sheet and gold-eyed monster in a black coat that guarded one of the "high ones". Or so the Dusks had told him.

Axel snorted at the thought. For three days he'd sent Dusks out here, and the mansion had swallowed them whole. It seemed kidnapping a wayward blonde teenager with no heart was harder than expected.

The mission instructions Saix had slapped down in front of him the morning he left the Castle That Never Was hadn't been too complicated.

_Locate said blonde teenager._

_Drag him back to the Castle by his hair, if that's what it takes._

_If not, then don't bother coming back._

That's exactly what Axel had ordered the Dusks from a comfortable little hideout he'd found deep in Twilight Town, but apparently, they'd only heard the last sentence. Three days of that crap and he'd decided to take matters into his own hands before he grew gray hair.

Raising a hand, Axel snapped his fingers twice, calling a dozen Dusks out of the darkness with his mind. With a whoosh, vapor coalesced around him, swirling away into the snaky forms of the lesser Nobodies, which slithered close to him, awaiting commands.

Axel snatched the one closest to him by the nape of the neck and dragged it nearer, grating out orders in a low voice. "When they get down here, don't engage them right away. Run away, hide, destroy something-- just keep them away from me and the basement. If it gets to fighting, don't hold back. Keep the old man away from the library. Capiche?"

_**Yes, my liege.**_

Axel winced. He'd controlled the Dusks for almost as long as he'd been in the Organization, but he'd never got used to the whole telepathic communications thing. That, and the Dusks' chaotic mental patterns were just plain dizzying. He slipped behind the staircase as the creature relayed his message to his companions.

The Dusks fanned out, slipping into place, and Axel breathed deeply. _Showtime._

He summoned his chakrams and flung one at the suit of armor on the other side of the foyer, causing the metal pieces to avalanche off their stand and onto the floor with a horrendous crash.

Then he dismissed his chakrams and waited.

A door slammed somewhere above and a figure in a black cloak rushed out to the balcony, seeming agitated.

"What the --?" Then he stiffened, and Axel knew he'd spotted the Dusks.

"Damn!" The man drew his weapon, but instead of attacking, sprinted to the library, banged the doors open and disappeared inside. Axel heard his voice far away, spitting out something indecipherable, then ending with "…security's been breached. They've found us!"

The sound of one very unhappy camper thundering up the stairs followed and Axel immediately tensed, preparing to move.

The door to the library slammed open again, and the hooded figure reappeared at a run, vaulted the balcony railing, landed on the floor of the foyer, weapon raised.

"Keep them off the second floor," ordered a deep voice from the balcony.

Axel looked up. A man clothed in red strode from the library, his eyes fixed on the action below.

DiZ. Perfect timing.

He snapped his fingers, summoning another Dusk. Keeping his eyes on the man, he grabbed the lesser Nobody by its skull and whispered one command: "DiZ."

The creature understood. Wrenching free from Axel's grip, it screeched, zipped up to the second floor, and dove straight for DiZ's unprotected side, tackling him to the ground. He went down with a yell and a curse, drawing Riku's attention away from the foyer, just for a moment.

A moment was all Axel needed. He phased to the second floor and slipped backward into the library, easing the door shut behind him. The noise of the fight faded away behind him as he turned and stepped farther into the library. A large window sat at the far end of the room, its meager, ratty curtains straining the light that flowed in through the dirt-encrusted glass. Ornamental wooden shelves lined the walls, filled with aged, dusty volumes that had probably seen better care. A horse statue fixed to the wall behind him glared at his back as he approached an oddly dust-free table in the center of the room.

No visible entrance to the basement. Well, at least these people weren't idiots. They'd locked him out. But then again, they'd been stupid enough to let in the lesser Nobodies, so their intelligence was completely wasted.

Without hesitation, Axel withdrew a yellow crayon from his coat pocket and added three circles to a design that was stenciled on the table. A low grumble from below, and the floor fell away into a pit framed with metal pipes that had the nerve to call itself a basement. A lone flight of stairs with no railing led the way into the floor, beckoning with some sort of bluish, artificial light. It was almost a mockery to the dilapidated, sunlit mansion above.

Axel hurried down the stairs and into the anteroom, swiveling quickly around until he spotted the door that led to the laboratory. He grunted in annoyance. Closed, and probably locked, too.

A bang on the keypad of the digital lock confirmed his guess.

Oh, well. Nothing a little show of force couldn't fix.

Ripping the keypad cover and lock case from beside the door wasn't too difficult, and Axel had no problem locating the offending tangle of wiring. A quick yank, and the lock was dismantled and virtually useless.

And unfortunately, so was stealth, because the moment the cords tore free, a siren screamed to life above his head. _Okay, maybe not as easy as I thought._ Once again, they weren't stupid.

He summoned another half-a-dozen Dusks to guard the stairs as he set to work prying open the door. The gears had been cranked tight, so it took a good three minutes of isometrics to get a gap wide enough for him to slip through.

By now, the overhead alarm was screaming bloody murder. Axel squeezed past the door and into the lab, pausing for a split-second to analyze his surroundings. Computer interfaces covered the walls. Master control to his far left. A niche in the wall across from him where a black bundle lay on the floor.

Axel blinked. A black bundle with… blond hair?

"Roxas!"

He was overwhelmed by the desire to rush over to the young Nobody, but he gritted his teeth and scurried to the master control computer, forcing himself to focus. He froze up for a moment when he saw the keyboard -- he'd never been good with technology -- but he remembered something he'd learned from one of his superiors and began to hurriedly tap the keys.

Thank heaven for Vexen, ass though he was.

Information crossed the screen, raging into Axel's consciousness. _Simulation Twilight Town… the boy's mind and memories locked inside… transporting beam above tranquilizing device… Retrieving data…_

Battle cries filled the hall outside. Axel looked up, cursing, but with his meager knowledge of computers, there was nothing he could do short of dragging Roxas's consciousness out of the simulation via his spiky blond hair….

_Transportation beam above tranquilizing device…_

An idea crashed into him full-force, his last chance to salvage the mission. Furiously, he banged a last few keys, then flung himself at the transportation beam.

_Ready or not, here I come…_

* * *

The basement had been broken into, and the lab as well. The digital lock on the laboratory door had been torn off and thrown aside. This barely registered in DiZ's mind as he forced the mechanical door open and rushed inside the computer room.

It took him a moment to realize that the lab was empty, and that everything was exactly as he'd left it. But it couldn't be, because the alarms above his head were tearing up his eardrums, and the monitor of the master control computer was flashing a bright, agonizingly blank blue.

"No! No, no, no, no, no, no!" He floundered over to the master interface, groping for the keyboard as he tried to figure out how anyone could have possibly gotten past his equipment lockdown. The screens abruptly went black, then a message appeared accompanied by the computer's automated voice.

"_Password incorrect. Access denied."_

* * *

At first, Axel really wasn't sure that he'd really transported anywhere at all. When the transportation beam dropped him face first onto the cold floor of the lab, he thought he'd made some mistake and missed his ride to the simulation town.

It was then he noticed three things. One, the lab's alarm wasn't blaring in his ears. Two, Roxas was gone. Three, DiZ hadn't tried to kill him yet.

All good signs. Maybe this would work after all.

Axel rolled to his feet, stretched, swung his arms and summoned his chakrams, testing out his new environment. Nothing had changed. So far, so good.

Now he just had to find Roxas and he could blow this popsicle stand.

The ground suddenly pitched underneath him, and he had to stumble backwards and grab the wall to keep his balance. The room blurred, tipping in and out of focus, then froze in place.

_What the…?_

The lab brightened with a flash from behind, and he jerked, then realized what was happening. _DiZ. He's trying to get in._

"Shit!" Axel clenched his teeth and snapped his fingers again, summoning another four Dusks. "Find Roxas and keep him occupied until I get there," he snapped. "Go, come on!"

The Dusks whizzed past him, out of the lab and up the stairs faster than his eyes could follow. He lunged after them, choosing sprinting to the town over portaling. Any anomalies in the simulation was sure to catch DiZ's eye, and he couldn't risk exposing his location, not now.

* * *

"_Password incorrect. Access denied."_

* * *

Axel slowed his pace to an easy walk as he hurried through the alley that led from the Tram Commons to the Sandlot.

It'd been a cakewalk to sense the presence of another Nobody in the fake town, and following the trail was as easy as skipping along a yellow brick road in broad daylight. But the city was silent, and it seemed like no one --

A sudden yell ripped through the stagnant silence of the frozen city, followed by the sound of metal hitting leather.

"Yah! Get away from me!"

Axel jumped at the sound of the familiar, boyish voice. _Roxas!_

Seemed like it'd been forever. He hung a sharp left turn and stepped into the Sandlot.

A strange sight met his eyes. It was almost like a Polaroid snapshot -- more than a hundred spectators, all gathered close around the raised dueling platform at the center of the lot, frozen solid as figures in a wax museum. The blond teenager on the dueling platform and the Dusk trying to carve out his eyeballs were the only two living things in the Sandlot.

The boy spun a tight circle, dodging a blow and slamming his key-shaped sword into the Dusk's midsection. The creature gave one final shriek as it was split in half, then faded away into a wisp of black vapor, leaving Roxas alone on the platform gasping for breath and clutching the Keyblade for all he was worth.

For some reason, knowing that Roxas had killed all four Dusks put Axel's mind at ease. He smirked and strolled out of the shadows, clapping his hands half-mockingly.

"Roxas," he called out. "All right. Fight fight fight."

Roxas started and whipped around, raising his Keyblade and eyeing him warily. Axel sauntered up onto the platform, wagging his head in disbelief. "So you really don't remember?" he asked incredulously, flicking off his hood. "It's me. You know… _Axel?_"

"Ax…el?" Roxas only stared, eyes glassy.

Axel rolled his eyes. _I guess Saix was telling the truth for once. _"Talk about blank with a capital 'B,'" he said, shaking his head in false pity. He casually summoned his chakrams, twirling them on his fingers. "Man, oh man, even the Dusks aren't gonna crack this one."

Roxas jumped back, holding up his Keyblade defensively. "Wait a second!" he shouted. "What are you doing? What's going on?!"

Axel glanced up at their surroundings, ignoring him. "This town is his creation, right? Which means we don't have time for a Q & A." He raised his chakrams, twirling them, and prepared to attack. "You're coming with me, conscious or not. Then you'll hear the story."

Without warning, the ground shifted again, nearly throwing him off his feet. He flailed to regain his balance and glared up at sky. "Uh-oh," he muttered.

"Will somebody please tell me what is _going ON?!_" Roxas suddenly exploded, hurling the Keyblade at Axel. It skidded harmlessly to a halt at the red head's feet, then vanished, reappearing in Roxas's palm.

Axel smirked in amusement and raised his chakrams again. "Number Thirteen," he said. "Roxas. The Keyblade's 'chosen one.'"

Roxas lowered into a defensive stance, gaze darkening. "Okay, fine!" he growled. "You asked for it!"

Axel's lips spread into a grin, and he breathed the simulated air in deeply as adrenaline began to race through his limbs in anticipation of a fight.

With an angry yell, Roxas charged straight for Axel, Keyblade singing through the air. Axel easily warped out of the way and rematerialized on the other side of the platform, laughing out loud. "Looks like you're losing your edge!" he called out, tossing a chakram into the air and catching it again. "C'mon, Rox. Is that all you've got?"

Roxas whirled, furious, and flew toward him, but he warped to the other side of the platform again, flinging his chakrams at the younger Nobody. The blond boy dove for the ground, then rolled to his feet, breathing heavily and glaring at him.

"Well, come on, hit me. We don't have all day." Axel called his chakrams back to him, and stood there, eyes glinting in mirth.

"Yaargh!" Roxas charged again, and Axel prepared to block, but the boy spun into a reversal at the last moment and slammed the flat of his sword into Axel's backside. Axel stumbled forward, leapt into a dodge roll, and sprung upright, barely fazed.

"That's more like it!"

Roxas only grunted and came toward him again, Keyblade swinging violently. Axel blocked every consecutive blow, parrying the last and smacking a fist into Roxas's stomach, setting his shirt on fire.

"Ungh -- what the--!"

"Sorry, Rox." Axel followed up with a sharp elbow to the back, a knee to the stomach, and a kick to the groin. He leaned over the young Nobody writhing on the ground, shrugging apologetically. "Xemmy's orders. Can't say anything to that, you know what I mean?"

Roxas's face contorted, and something suddenly thudded into Axel's stomach, sending him flying backwards, sharp pain shooting into his gut. He landed flat on his butt and rolled backwards onto his feet, doubled over. Looking up, he saw that Roxas was still struggling to rise, and moved then, while he had the advantage.

_Let's just get this over with, shall we?_

Abruptly, he straightened and flung both of his chakrams at Roxas.

He missed.

Or to be more accurate, he flung them straight into a force field that caused him to miss. With a digital beeping and a flash of light, DiZ materialized between him and Roxas, arms crossed.

_Damn. Too late. _Axel glowered, clenching his teeth. "Killjoy," he muttered spitefully.

DiZ ignored him and turned to face the blond Nobody, who gaped at them both with wide eyes. "Roxas, this man speaks nonsense!" he snapped.

"Don't listen to him!" Axel shouted back. He wondered if gutting the man would look bad on his mission report. But then again, if he failed to bring Roxas back, there would be no mission report. There would only be trouble. "He's lying! He's the one who trapped you here in the first place!" Yes, he'd definitely have to bring Roxas back.

"He is a figment of your imagination, Roxas," DiZ said calmly. "He isn't really--"

"You're with us, Organization XIII, remember?" Axel interrupted, taking a furtive step toward the two. All he needed to do to escape was to get close enough to Roxas that when he portaled away, DiZ couldn't interfere. "All this guy wants is to kill--"

"Roxas, focus!" DiZ bellowed, cutting him off.

"I don't…" Roxas shuffled backwards a few steps, eyes wide and lost. "I don't know…"

"Look at me!" DiZ thundered, striding forward. "You are dreaming. That man is only --"

"Oh, enough already!" Axel said, choosing that moment to phase right behind Roxas and knock him unconscious with a quick blow to the skull. He caught the boy before he fell, and glanced up at DiZ with a smirk. "You lose," he said, and opened a portal to the simulated lab.

"Mission complete," He whispered, slipping backward into the dark corridor before DiZ even had a chance to react. "About time to RTC, eh, Rox?"

* * *

Riku's heart pounded in a crazy cadence with his steps as he whirled into a reversal and slammed his blade into the last Dusk. The creature's dying squeal was all but drowned out by the computer alarm that was now screaming through the mansion. Spinning, he lunged for the stairs and sprinted to the library.

He slammed open the double doors and skidded to a stop at the top of the stairs to the basement when his amber eyes met a pair of green ones. A redhead in a black coat stood at base of the stairs, glaring at him. Shifting the load thrown over his shoulder, the redhead turned away and vanished into a portal of darkness.

"Axel!" Riku shouted, but the Nobody was gone. He sucked in a breath. DiZ wasn't here. That could only mean...

Riku thundered down the stairs and tore in the computer lab in time to see DiZ stumble out of the simulation beam and collapse to his hands and knees on the floor, breathing raggedly. His gaze shot to the floor beneath the beam. The space was empty. _Oh no. No, no, no, no..._

"What happened?!" Riku demanded. "Where's Roxas?"

DiZ's head dropped to his chest, his shoulders slumping. "I lost him," he said, voice faint. "I lost him. Roxas is gone."

* * *

I know you already knew what was going to happen, but consider that the prologue. Bear with me here. Next chapter, the plot thickens... Maybe I'll even post a preview on my profile if you're interested. Meanwhile, I would love a nice review! That button is calling your name, don't disappoint it. :)


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